Business

corporate & business visas

Here are the Corporate & Business Visa application services that Sanctuary Law can offer.

Home Office Sponsorship & Points-based Visa Sponsorship

If you’re a British company registered or other appropriate organisation in the UK and you’re looking to employ someone from outside of the European Economic Area (EEA), then we can certainly help you to overcome your skills shortages. It is most likely that your company or organisation will need to go through a sponsorship process for your prospective employees so that they can legally enter the UK to work, even if the work they intend to carry out is unpaid (for example, charity and volunteer work), the normal route for this is usually through visa sponsorship. Sanctuary Law has great experience of assisting applications to gain a Home Office sponsorship licence and we have the in-house skills in place to provide you with the professional support and guidance to help you through maze of requirements necessary for you to become an approved Home Office sponsor company/organisation.

There are many issues which your company will need to consider and address when seeking to sponsor non EU employees to come into the UK – some of them will require individuals to take on board specific roles and responsibilities and reporting responsibilities to the Home Office. We will offer valuable hand on support and training to key personnel as part of our service offering. We will help to build the capacity of your organisation to report and engage with the Home Office as per their requirements.

With the current high level of Home Office refusals of Non-EU visa applications, it is important as an employer that you ensure you gain professional help and support to put forward a strong and successful application for a sponsorship licence – we can help you with that process and we have a track record of success. Our immigration advisers are able to draw upon years of experience to help make your application a successful one. Please get in touch with Sanctuary Law today to see how our experts can help.

Business Visitor Visa

The business visitor category is for people who want to come and do business in the UK for a short time. This includes academic visitors, visiting professors, overseas news media representatives and film crews on location.

Disclaimer: The information provided above only provides general guidelines on Immigration Law and these rules change regularly (last update 3 January 2013). It is highly recommended that you call our office for more in depth advice and assistance

Sole Representative

To come to the UK as an overseas parent company’s sole representative you must be a senior employee (but not a majority shareholder in the company) who intends to establish a commercial presence for the company in the UK. This may be a registered branch or a wholly owned subsidiary concerned with the same type of business activity as the parent company.
The company must have no branch, subsidiary or other representative in the UK. If the company has a legal entity in the UK but this does not employ staff or transact business you may still be able to come here as its sole representative. You must also be able to demonstrate your English language ability.

Tier 1 Visas

Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) is for non-EU migrants who want to invest in the UK by setting up or taking over, and being actively involved in the running of, a business or businesses here. For your application to be successful, you must score a total of 95 points and meet all the other requirements of the Immigration Rules. The Points are awarded on funds, your level of English, and maintenance. If you are already in the UK in a different immigration category, you may be able to ‘switch’ into Tier 1 (Entrepreneur).

The Tier 1 (Investor) category is for high-net-worth individuals who want to make a substantial financial investment of £1,000,000 in the UK. You do not need a job offer to apply in this category. To be able to apply, you must score 75 points. The points are awarded on funds and English ability. If you are already in the UK you may be able to switch providing you are currently in one of the switching categories.

Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) is for people who are internationally recognised as world leaders or potential world-leading talent in the fields of science and the arts, and who wish to work in the UK. The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) is a points-based system, which is for migrants from outside Europe. You must score 75 points to qualify. You will score 75 points if you have an endorsement from a ‘designated competent body’. This is an organisation that can judge whether you are internationally recognised in your field as a world-leading talent, or have demonstrated exceptional promise and are likely to become a world-leading talent.

Temporary Worker Visa (Tier 5)

Under Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) you must score 30 points for Certificate of Sponsorship and 10 points for Maintenance.

Resident Labour Market Test (Tier 2)

You must complete a Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) before sponsoring a migrant unless the job is listed on the UKBA Shortage Occupation List (SOL), the migrant is an existing employee, or in a switching immigration category.

Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS-Tier 4)

All Tier 4 students inside or outside the UK will require a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) which is applied for by the College/University and issued by the Home Office.

Certificate of Sponsorship (Tiers 2 & 5)

Once a Sponsorship Licence has been granted a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) may be granted by the Home Office as per the employer’s request. It is sometimes possible that a company will receive a zero allocation after obtaining a licence.

A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is a virtual document, issued by the UKBA to a Level 1 or 2 User via the Sponsorship Management System (SMS). All relevant information about the sponsored employee, their role, and details of whether the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) has been carried out, if appropriate to the application, must be included at this stage.

Sponsorship Licence Process (Tiers 2,4 & 5)

The application process is done online for which we can either complete on your behalf or provide the support required. The questions are complex and require a detailed assessment of records and data of your company before proceeding. Once the online application is complete all supporting documents and the appropriate fee must be submitted to the Home Office within 10 working days. If all requirements have been met then current guidance is that the Sponsorship Licence will be granted in 17 – 18 weeks but this is likely to vary depending on the Home Office backlog.

The Home Office may visit your company before reaching a decision. It is essential that all employees, paperwork and records relating to your company are available on the date of inspection. We would advise you on compliance to ensure that this goes smoothly.

A Sponsorship Licence is currently issued for 4 years.

Pre-Sponsorship Licence Assessment

As a first step we would normally recommend an audit of your existing foreign employees and premises to ensure that your company meets the relevant requirements set out by the Home Office to qualify for a Sponsorship Licence.

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We are a firm of UK immigration solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and well known for the excellence of our service. (SRA 649650) Our clients come from across the whole of the UK and indeed internationally. We support our clients with every type of UK visa application and employment for migrants in the UK. Registered with Companies House under Registration Number: 11280669.